Little Johns hit 4 TD passes to beat GatorsOLA -- Preston Donnell threw four touchdown passes as the Danville Little Johns shut out the Two Rivers Gators 45-0 on Friday night. Danville, which lost its season opener to Conway Christian 35-12 at UCA on Monday, evened its record at 1-1. It was the season opener and first game at home for Two Rivers (0-1). Donnell's first touchdown toss went for 55 yards to Juan Ponce. The point-after kick was no good, and the Little Johns led 6-0 with 8:2...

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Courier sports staffThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Whirlwinds shut out in openerThe Russellville Whirlwinds struggled to put together an offensive drive during Thursday's 29-0 season-opening loss to the Morrilton Junior Devil Dogs. Russellville's (0-1) offense collected just 48 yards during the loss at Cyclone Stadium. The defense got a few stops, including an interception by Caleb Keele with 1:57 left in the third quarter, but with the ball on their own 10, a bad snap led to a safety against the Whirlwinds a few plays la...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Rivals Cup set for FridayDOVER -- Atkins Red Devils quarterback Zack Harris wouldn't exactly call the Rivals Cup, his team's annual match-up against the Dover Pirates, a "friendly rivalry." "Sort of," he said. "Really, we think about this game all year -- all offseason. I guess we're friends off the field, but once it's game time, it's go time." The Pirates have won the series three years in a row, and Dover's senior class would like nothing better than to make it fou...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Lady Pirates notch 1st winDOVER -- The Dover Lady Pirates volleyball team recorded their first volleyball win in school history over the Quitman Lady Bulldogs on Tuesday. Dover won 25-15, 27-25, 21-25, 25-19, 15-8. "Winning our first home game was beyond an exciting night, and I am so proud of all my girls," Lady Pirates first-year head coach Kaci Posey said. "They have worked so hard since June and this was a well deserved win." Chloe Arnold had eight kills. Shelby Sh...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Mistakes doom Sand Lizards in openerBY TRAVIS SIMPSON sports@couriernews.com DARDANELLE -- Mistakes doomed the Dardanelle Sand Lizards to a 29-23 loss to the Charleston Tigers on Tuesday at Keenan Field. The Sand Lizards (0-1) had a chance to put Charleston (1-0) away for good late in the fourth quarter after the Tigers' bad snap on a punt gave Dardanelle possession on the Charleston 16, but Sand Lizards quarterback Elyas Carter threw an interception with 2:14 left on the clock....

River Hawks win bronze bracketTHE COURIER / Submitted The Lady River Hawks of Community Christian School in Russellville recently won the Bronze Bracket of the Arkansas Association of Christian School Varsity Girls preseason tournament held in Mangnolia. The Lady River Hawks lost their first two matches but rebounded to win their next three and a title game against Cornerstone Christian Academy. The Lady River Hawks beat Cornerstone 3-0.

Little Johns come up short in season openerCONWAY -- The Danville Little Johns lost 35-12 to the Conway Christian Eagles as part of the Hooten's Kickoff Classic at the University of Central Arkansas on Monday. The Little Johns lagged behind Conway Christian in the first half. After trailing 6-0 early in the game, Trent Cathey returned a kickoff 89 yards to tie the game 6-6 with 6:29 left in the first quarter. Danville blocked a punt with 6:29 left in the first quarter but was unable to...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Excitement mounts for Jr. LizardsDARDANELLE -- Can the Dardanelle Junior Sand Lizards go undefeated for a second year in a row? Dardanelle head coach Brent Taylor doesn't have that answer, but he believes the team has a chance to have "similar" success. "We're excited," he said. "We have a lot of excitement coming in off of last year's 10-0 season. We think we have a good chance to have a similar kind of success again this year. Can we repeat? I don't know. I do know they'll ...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Junior Wildcats cram for upcoming seasonHECTOR -- The Junior Wildcats have a lot to learn in a short amount of time, but head coach Kyle Russell is confident they'll get there. "It can be hard for us to get a great amount of participation in the summer since junior high kids don't drive and things like that, so we have a lot to learn pretty quick, but I feel like we're going to be talented," he said. For now, Russell said the team is trying to figure out what they'll be good at and ...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Little Johns open season MondayDANVILLE -- The Little Johns kick off the 2017 season a little early as they take on Conway Christian in the Hooten's Kickoff Classic at the University of Central Arkansas. Danville head coach D.J. Crane said his team is amped to play in a high-profile game. "They [Hooten's] likes to invite top-10 teams that they think will be a preview of their classification's playoffs," Crane said. "We happened to be one of those teams. If you get to play i...

Lady Whirlwinds topple Conway, now 2-0The Russellville Lady Whirlwinds defeated the Conway Blue Lady Wampus Cats 25-10, 25-10, 25-10 on Wednesday inside Whirlwind Gymnasium to improve to 2-0 on the season. Russellville head coach Cindy Williams said she is looking forward to the future with this year's Lady Whirlwinds. 'This is a team you will want to come and watch," she said. "They play so well together and do so many things right. They are a great group and really are represent...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Pottsville tennis opens season with tri-matchesThe Pottsville Apaches kicked off their tennis season with back-to-back tri-matches recently. First, Pottsville hopped down the road to the RHS Cyclones tennis courts and faced Russellville and Conway Wampus Cats. Pottsville won 12-of-17 matches played. Next, the Apaches headed to Arkansas Tech University (ATU) to take on the Farmington Cardinals and the Dardanelle Sand Lizards. In that tri-match, the Apaches won 12-of-14 matches played. "I co...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Local takes fifth at World ChampionshipOKLAHOMA CITY -- Jenna Meimerstorf of Russellville earned fifth place during the 2017 Built Ford Tough American Quarter Horse Youth Association World Championship Show on Aug. 12. Meimerstorf showed the American Quarter Horse Ten Surprizes owned by Meimerstorf. The 2011 Palomino Gelding, sired by Hang Ten Surprize and out of Holly O Jay, was bred by Rosanne Sternberg of Aubrey, Texas. In Level Two and Level Three Reining, 123 entries competed ...

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Courier sports staffThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Atkins Lions Club hear about Red Devils footballTHE COURIER / Submitted Atkins Lions Club hears about Red Devils football Atkins Red Devils head football coach Tommy Cody speaks to the Lions Club about the football program. Cody said the 28-man team has "all good players." Cody also spoke about the current discussion surrounding football and head injuries. Cody said the team keeps a physical therapist on the sidelines at every game, and players are not allowed to play if it is suspected the...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

RJHS volleyball notches first winThe Russellville Junior High Lady Whirlwinds opened its season with a 25-14, 25-20 victory over the North Little Rock Lady Charging Wildcats on Monday inside Whirlwind Gymnasium. "Excellent play all the way around," Russellville head coach Cindy Williams said after the match. "The back row of Emy Moreno, Lizzy Callaway and Maddie Wojtkowski were on fire. Lilly Ruston finished the match off with a perfect 'animal' ball." Williams also complimen...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

RHS announces HOF inducteesBY TRAVIS SIMPSON sports@couriernews.com The Russellville Athletic Department recently announced the 2017 Hall of Fame and Volunteer of the Year inductees. Nate Turner, Cale Fulsom and Matthew Campbell will be inducted into the hall of fame at 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 29 at the Hall of Fame Banquet inside the lobby of the Russellville Center for the Arts. "We are excited about the three newest members to the Hall of Fame," Russellville athletic dir...

First Dover volleyball season begins MondayDOVER -- Lady Pirates head coach Kaci Posey saw an awakening in her first-year volleyball players this offseason. "I'm definitely starting to see girls develop a passion for the sport of volleyball," said Posey, who was hired to launch Dover's first volleyball program over the summer. Posey said she saw girls begin to realize that competitive volleyball is more complicated and more intriguing than the recreational volleyball many of them were ...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley